IRS Audit

It's the nightmare we fear when we file our tax returns: an IRS audit. Huge inconvenience, rejected deductions and a hefty bill. Here are three tales of those who have been under the microscope, and some advice on how to avoid -- or survive -- the tax man's fierce scrutiny.

No one is claiming that an IRS audit is a cakewalk. But a tax audit is probably less likely -- and less gruesome -- than most people fear. And the IRS isn't allowed to swoop down upon you just any old time: Their clock is ticking.

Even if you have nothing to hide, an IRS audit is no picnic. But have you ever wondered why some tax returns get intense scrutiny while most sail through the review process? Here are 12 red flags that could increase your chances of drawing unwanted IRS attention.

The three most intimidating letters of the alphabet for most Americans are I-R-S. Very few things strike more fear in a taxpayer's heart than the thought of being audited by the Internal Revenue Service. For years, reports of abuse of power and poor treatment from the IRS ran rampant. That led...

It's no secret that the IRS is ramping up the number of audits in an attempt to close the "tax gap." That's the term the IRS is using to account for the difference between the taxes it believes it should have collected and what it actually managed to collect. For 2001 (the last year for which data...

As Tax Day creeps closer, tax refund scams are on the rise. A number of fake tax refund schemes have been made public in recent days, as the Justice Department appears to be stepping up enforcement. Just yesterday, the Justice Department announced that Idrissa Bassoum, formerly of Cincinnati, had...

It hasn't been a fun January for Arizona Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle. First, his team was eliminated from the NFL playoffs by the Super Bowl-bound New Orleans Saints. Rolle left that game early with a head injury. Now the IRS is giving Rolle a second pounding with a bill for $2.2 million bill...

The tax gods smiled on me when they made me the younger brother of a CPA -- a guy who saved my butt countless times back in the day when I didn't know a tax return from toilet paper. Thus I've always had the advantage of instant, free tax advice when I need it. Yet no matter how many times I asked...